Kate Snow on Condit's return to Washington

Snow

Rep. Gary Condit, D-California, returned to Washington on Wednesday as the House reconvened after a monthlong recess. His political support has eroded because of the controversy surrounding the disappearance of Chandra Levy, a former intern. Police say Condit acknowledged, during one of their interviews, that he and Levy had had a relationship. CNN Congressional Correspondent Kate Snow talks about Condit's return to the Capitol.

Q: How was Condit received on his return to Washington?

A: The initial reception was quite warm. He went to the House floor at about 6 p.m. with all the other members for votes. A group of about a dozen members went up to Condit, shook his hand, patted him on the back, gave him hugs and kisses. It was very friendly. We were told members were chatting about their summer vacation, about their families.

Q: Give me a sense of what's being said about Condit behind the scenes and how much trouble he's in.

A: Democrats privately say they're very disappointed in Gary Condit. Dick Gephardt, the leader of his own party, said Wednesday that he stood by earlier comments when he said Condit was not straightforward enough and forthcoming during a national television interview. There's a sense, not just among Democrats, that the Condit story is making everyone look bad.

Q: How do Democrats feel about all the attention on Condit? Do they fear it's distracting from their message?

A: Many of them do. One Democratic member said to me that he can't even get on an airplane and fly without the person next to him saying, "Oh, you're a member of Congress. Do you know Gary Condit?" Several said it was raised during the August recess at town meetings. They're worried that they're being painted with a broad bush, that people are seeing the Condit story as indicative of how all members of Congress operate.

Q: What do Democrats want to focus on this fall?

A: The big focus here is the budget and how is the government going to pay for all the priorities the president has set without dipping into reserve funds for Social Security and Medicare. For example, the House and Senate are facing spending decisions on defense and education reform. A patients' bill of rights is another issue. In the House, Democrats are working on getting signatures for a petition to force the issue of campaign finance reform to the floor.

Q: Does the fact that Condit has prided himself on being independent -- not a party-line lawmaker -- hurt him now among fellow Democrats?

A: I don't think so. I think his voting record is probably most important to his constituents, not so much to his colleagues. Every member of Congress has a distinct voting record. He's had some conservative votes, but he's always been a respected member of the Democratic Party. He's a founding member of the Blue Dog Democrats, a coalition that votes more fiscally conservative. Q: There's been some talk of removing Condit from his seat on the House Intelligence Committee. Is that a real possibility?

A: Congressional historians say there is no precedent for removing a member from a committee in the middle of a session because of personal indiscretions. Phil Gramm, back when he was in the House, was removed from the Budget Committee. He was a Democrat at the time, and the Democrats were mad that he supported President Reagan's budget cuts. Clearly, that was a very different story.

There are Democratic rules that apply to the chairman or top-ranking member of any committee. If that person is indicted on a serious felony, he or she has to temporarily step down. If that person is convicted of a serious felony or censured by the House, he or she has to resign as chairman. The person can still serve on the committee, but not as chairman.

The interesting thing is neither situation applies to Condit. He's neither chairman nor top-ranking member of the House Intelligence Committee. There's no rule to guide what happens to just a regular ol' member of a committee. The bottom line is that doing any of this would be very new territory.

Q: How will the Condit drama likely play out on Capitol Hill?

A: It's almost impossible to know what to expect. Dick Gephardt has said that he wants to talk to his colleagues about the Condit situation and explore the options. And I did have one Democratic member tell me that something needs to happen soon because of the cloud that hangs over Congress.

At the same time, we know that the Democratic leadership had a meeting last night and the subject of Condit never came up. The Democratic Caucus, all Democratic members, met this morning and the subject never came up.

So, while there's this behind-the-scenes talk about taking action, there's no evidence that that's happening fast.